


Ol' Dog Days

by AntoniaArcStark



Category: Marvel Avengers Assemble TV Show
Genre: Angst, Avengers Assemble tv show, Dog!Steve, Fetch, Loki's Mischief, M/M, snuggle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-21 12:29:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4829186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntoniaArcStark/pseuds/AntoniaArcStark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve is not himself. Loki is probably off sniggering somewhere. And Tony gets surprised a lot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ol' Dog Days

Tony walked through the haze, gauntlet high in the air, dimly attempting to light the way. He tried to figure out what exactly happened. Cap had called him on the comm, saying he needed back-up. Instantly, he'd suited up and flew to Steve's coordinates. Turns out, he was greeted by a mass explosion of fog and not his teammate.

"Cap?" he called out, landing carefully despite the shroud. 

No one replied. Tony was beginning to worry. Where was he? Had something happened to him? He sure hoped not.

There was a sudden bark.

Tony's brow furrowed, confused. That sure wasn't Cap. And that was confirmed as the silhouette of a dog bounded through the mist, looking excitable and eager for Tony's attention.

"Hey, boy," he greeted, reaching out to scratch the dog behind it's ear.

The retriever pulled back from the touch, eyeing up Tony's plated hand. It was almost as if it were shocked and disgusted by the gesture.

He decided to use a different tactic. The metal on his hand retreated, sliding back in up to his wrist. Again, his open hand reached out.

This time the dog placed his paw on Tony's palm, and tilted his head. The look said,  _Please don't._

Sighing, he pulled his hand away, and lifted up the faceplate. The fog was clearing slightly. No Cap in sight.

"Jarvis, can you detect Steve anywhere?"

"It's hard to say, sir," responded the A.I. "There isn't a heat signature for the Captain. Though his coordinates still indicate he is here."

The golden retriever suddenly darted off, and then bounded back over, Steve's shield clamped into his jaws. Tony smile was tense, unsure whether to feel relieved or worried. 

Cap wouldn't just leave his shield. He guarded it so preciously, not even letting Tony touch it, never mind test it out. Perhaps because he'd offered to replace it with an "awesome new version".

The golden retriever wagged his tail, eyes wild with giddiness. Breathing out and back in, he resolved to keep calm. Cap was a big boy, he could handle himself.

"Thanks, pooch," he praised, grabbing the rim of the shield.

The dog stiffened, and began tugging away. Of course, being stubborn and determined, Tony pulled back too.

"Okay!  _Okay!"_ he said eventually, giving in. "But I can't play frisbee."

The dog winced, shaking its head, as if in denial. Dropping the shield, he placed a paw on the rounded surface, patting it. Tony almost thought it was trying to tell him something.

"Can't. I'm busy," he sighed, moving past the dog and pacing down the cleared street. "I need to find Cap. You might know him. Captain America. You recognize that name? Yeah, thought so."

If anyone was listening on comms, he probably sounded crazy. The dog seemed to agree. It made a whiney sigh, shaking it's furry head, following him.

He reached an alley along the side of two buildings and stopped, suddenly spotting the famous blue costume. It was crumpled up in a heap on the dirtied pathway. 

Tony jogged over and fell to his knees, gathering the material into his hands. _"No._  No no no."

The retriever whined again, butting its head against his metal shoulder. 

"Jarvis," he said through gritted teeth. "Tell me this isn't another one of Skulls amusing teleportation gigs."

"No, sir," replied Jarvis. "But I am detecting some strange readings. Some form of a magical interference in the air."

The dog barked again. He jumped up and down, overjoyed. Tony frowned. This pooch seems to have a nose for this sort of thing.  _Like_   _some super_   _dog,_ he thought, quite amused.

Super... dog...

Tony's eyes lit up, focusing on the mutt. "Steve!?"

He barked again, running around in circles, happy that Tony had finally worked it out. All he could do saw stare mutely, wondering how the  _hell_  Cap could get turned into a dog.

"Steve. Steve!" called out Tony. "Calm down. Seriously. You're making me dizzy. Okay. Good. So, who did this?"

Dog Steve yapped, and then whined, like he forgot he couldn't talk. Tony realized it was stupid to ask. He'd have to figure out some way to communicate.

"Hey, it's okay," he reassured. "We'll figure it out. Um, so, just bark when I say the right name. Skull?"

No response.

"Guess that's not MODOK either then..."

Still nothing.

"Nighthawk?"

Nope.

"Loki?"

Steve woofed in reply, looking pleased. Tony felt somewhat thankful for the easy system of communication. He'd have to bring Cap back to the Tower and ask Thor...

"Makes sense," he muttered. "With his annoying magic and the sick games he plays."

Though he couldn't see why Loki would do something that pathetic. Surely he had some underlying plan? Not just turn Steve into a dog. Loki was ridiculous, but not random. Maybe he just wanted to cause chaos.

"Come on, Steve," Tony said, pushing back his confusion. "Let's fix this."

 

~○~

 

Stripping off the amour, he headed into the living room, Dog Steve walking by his side. His mouth hung open comically, as if he was smiling. Tony grinned back.

The team was in there, Clint and Hulk playing some Captain America game on the TV, Thor eating one hot dog after another, Natasha curled up on an armchair and reading a book, plus Sam faffing on his phone.

They all glanced his way when he came in, their eyes trailing to the golden retriever.

"Um, is anyone else seeing a dog right now?" quizzed Hawkeye, hitching up his shades to see properly.

"That's right," confirmed Tony, folding his arms. "And it's--"

Natasha had gotten up and began stroking Dog Steve, interrupting. "Aww. Who's a good boy?"

"A fine dog indeed!" exclaimed Thor between mouthfuls.

Sam had crouched down and was petting Steve also. "What's his name, Tony?"

He cleared his throat. God, this was weird. He had to keep a straight face, he  _had_  to.

"Steve."

The whole team were staring at him again, questioning whether he was serious or not. His fingers rubbed his brow, mentally blaming Steve for the awkwardness. Though this seemed totally fine for him.

"Did I hear that right?" asked Hawkeye. _"Steve?_  Why exactly are you calling pets after teammates? Kinda creepy, Tony."

He shot a look at Steve, saying 'thank you for this'. Annoyingly, he replied by tilting his head and opening his mouth, tongue hanging out. 

"It's not... I don't..." he began, stuttering. Then announced, gesturing to Steve with both hands, "This is Steve!"

There was a long dragging pause. Dog Steve barked, somewhat confirming the statement.

"Cap, is that you?" gaped Falcon, immediately retreating his hands from the dog's fur.

The retriever yapped, growing joyful once more, looking from one Avenger to another. 

"I'm not crazy," said Tony. "I got the call from Cap for backup, went to help and voilà! He was a dog."

"By Odin's beard," murmured Thor. "Who would do this?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Your brother."

"That means, what?" questioned Natasha. "He's a dog forever?"

Steve flopped down to the floor, sullen. They all gazed at one another, unsure what to do. Surely, they hadn't lost hope so soon?

Sam finally came out with, "Well, we've seen Loki's tricks before. His spells aren't always long term, are they?"

"Aye," agreed Thor, and they all perked up. "Loki's tricks don't always last."

Tony stepped forward, grinning. "And if he doesn't turn back soon, we find a way."

The team nodded in agreement and Steve barked. That settled it.

 

~○~

 

Tony was in his workshop, sitting at his desk, holding Steve's shield up to the light.  _Dad did_   _a good job_ , he thought to himself.  _Still... the one_ _I've_   _made is much_ _more f_ _ancy._

The door pushed open and then closed with a slight rattle. He spun around to see Dog Steve scampering in. His head was lowered, appearing pretty fed up. 

"Hey, bud," Tony welcomed warmly. That didn't seem to lift his spirits, as his tail drooped heavily on the floor. 

Picking up the circular metal ball on his desk, he showed it to Cap. The dog's blue eyes danced across the cylinder, curious, then meet Tony's.

"It's your new Shield," he said, placing the object on the floor. Steve sniffed it a little, which made him smirk. "Here, let me show you."

Tony carefully took his paw, placing it on the middle of the ball. From underneath, it began opening up, the ridges sliding out into different layers until it was a monotone version of Cap's shield. Tony could see Steve moving his paw over the surface. Those eyes were swimming with awe.

"Like it?"

He made a low huff, which Tony took as a yes.

Just like that, he had an idea. Scooping the shield up -- startling Steve -- he clicked the circle with the classic star in the middle, reverting it back into a sphere. Wickedly smiling, he shook it, almost tempting Dog Steve.

"Wanna play catch?" 

The golden retriever didn't refuse.

 

~○~

 

"Ready?" asked Tony, trying to hide his utter joy in doing this.

Steve, however, had his tail between his legs, obviously embarrassed to have followed his new instincts. He couldn't disagree, which made Tony beam even brighter.

He threw the ball, it flying to the other side of the room, landing with a clatter. Steve gazed longingly at it, and then back at Tony. 

"Oh, _come on,"_ he chuckled. "It won't hurt. And I don't think you're any less of a man, I promise."

He received a much sharper look, the one he'd seen many times. Usually when he had some brilliant invention or scheme in mind. Steve was always the first to be unimpressed and tell him so.

Instead of holding his ground, Cap hung his head in shame and scampered off after the ball.

"Really, Steve," quipped Tony. "This is meant to be fun!"

Another look. This time he knew exactly what his friend was thinking.  _Tony._  He could almost hear it. Just that one word in his firm tone could almost shut Tony up.

Steve soon hurried back, ball in mouth, big eyed.

Crouching down, he promised, "I won't tell the others. It can be our secret."

The retriever's body slumped, as if he was really calmed by those few words. Tony was tempted to ruffle his shaggy fleece, but couldn't quite bring himself to. He felt too nervous, like he'd offend Steve.

Standing up, trying to push away the desires, he exclaimed, "Go long!"

Cap's expression lit up, and he broke into a run. Tony launched the sphere, praying he'd catch it and not hit him. Though he was sure Steve could take it. After all, he  _was_  a super dog.

Thankfully, and quite amazingly, he jumped, back legs springing him up. The action was almost effortless, and Tony couldn't help but stare. He landed, ball clamped in his jaw, and trotted back over to his gaping teammate. He looked pleased with himself.

"Have you been practising?" Tony joked, raising one eyebrow. Cap merely woofed.

 

~○~

 

Tony was exhausted to say the least. Steve had played "hard to get", not giving back the ball. Tony had ended up chasing him around the entire training room, tired and sweaty by the time he had the slobbery ball in his palm.

Now he was laid out flat on the sofa, waving the other Avengers off as they went to settle a problem with the Serpent Society. He'd said that he would take care of Cap. Plus, he was too worn out to fight or even lift a finger.

Steve had headed off some place. Where, Tony didn't know. With the super serum in his blood, he'd be nowhere as breathless as him and was probably lapping the building.

"Jarvis?" he asked, eyes closed. "Where's Steve?"

"Right beside you, sir."

Tony jumped up, startled to see him beside the couch, tail wagging. God, he hadn't even heard him. He was like a silent shadow.

"Hey," he said, trying to recover, "um, you okay?"

Steve leapt up onto the seat beside him, batting his furry golden like-brush against the leather. His tongue hung lazily out, gazing at Tony.

"Wanna watch TV?" he asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He'd never felt like this around Steve. He was his best friend! Why did he feel so... _awkward?_

Steve gave a strange yawn-like agreement, lying his head down, curling his tail around himself. Tony shifted slightly, trying to breath. Picking up the remote, he clicked the TV on. A News channel appeared onto the screen, recording the ongoing battle of the Avengers vs. the bank-robbing snakes.

Tony relaxed.  _This wasn't so hard, was it?,_  he thought, leaning his arm on the back of the head rest.

There was sudden warmth on his knee. He forced himself not to tense. Steve had his head on his knee. His head on his knee.

Slowly, he peered down. Cap glanced sideways at him, almost as if to say: "What the hell am I doing...?"

"You comfy?" Tony quizzed, voice strained. 

Steve whined quietly. He sounded as scared as he looked. These tendencies, however unnerving, Tony would accept. This was his friend. He wasn't going to be the 'rejection at hard times' guy. He'd stick it out.

Plus -- and yes, it terrified him -- he kind-of liked it.

 

~○~

 

He raised his head gradually, bleary eyed. Where was he? Who was... lying on him?

 _Steve._  Human Steve had his head rested on his chest, the blue of his arc reactor dimly reflecting onto his fair skin. 

Tony stopped himself from gasping aloud.  _How did this happen?,_ he shouted mentally.

Steve was so warm, so comfy, pressed up against his body. And he looked peaceful. Tony didn't really want to move. But he had to.

"Steve," he mumbled, prodding his bare chest. "Steve. You're not a dog anymore. Hey, _Steve._ Steveee! Steve."

"Mm?" 

"Wake up," Tony said, louder this time. "You're, uh, on me."

Opening one eye, Cap looked around, eventually leading to his friend. With a stricken yell, he clambered off of Tony's body, pressing himself against the other side of the chair.

"Promise you won't speak about this to anyone," was Steve's first words.

Tony laughed nervously. "Trust me, bud, I'll take it to my death bed."

They both slumped, avoiding eye contact. They writhed in denial, squirming. The inevitable happened, and they were soon gazing at each other again. 

"Tony... I must admit..." Steve bit his lip. "You were pretty comfy."

He smiled and winked. "Oh, I know."

Cap's cheeks set on fire, scarred with deep pink. "I think we can learn a lesson from this..."

"Loki's mischief has benefits?"

_"Tony."_


End file.
